Saint Joseph Catholic Church

Father Roberto Pasolini, the Preacher of the Papal Household, devoted his fourth and final weekly Lenten sermon to “the freedom of God’s children: perfect joy and death as a sister” (full text, video).

“Today, in the minds of the authorities and Algerians, the Church is no longer Europe, nor France, nor a remnant of colonization,” Cardinal Vesco continued. “The Church and Christians are no longer associated with the Western bloc as they once were, and in this sense, I do not believe Christians in Algeria should suffer the consequences of a war between Iran and Israel.”

He added:

In thirty years, the Church in Algeria has become more African—in the sense that Algeria is a country on the African continent—but also more Catholic, in the sense of a reality marked by a multiplicity of nationalities.

Regarding the wars in the Middle East, there is no difference in sensibility between Christian and non-Christian Algerians. If I broaden my perspective to the Middle East, it is clear that Christians are victims alongside everyone else.